Pyrgus carlinae

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Pyrgus carlinae
Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Thick-headed butterfly (Hesperiidae)
Subfamily : Pyrginae
Genre : Pyrgus
Type : Pyrgus carlinae
Scientific name
Pyrgus carlinae
( Rambur , 1839)

Pyrgus carlinae , occasionally also Southwest Alps Würfeldickkopf, is a butterfly from the family of the Dickkopffalter (Hesperiidae).

features

The fore wing length is 13 to 14 millimeters. On the forewings there is a narrow white patch of cells that is divided and C-shaped. Indistinct bright spots can be seen on the hind wings. The underside of the hind wings is generally pale reddish brown. There are small discal spots in cells two and three and a pronounced edge spot on vein five. The upper side of the female is poured yellowish and the white spots are very small or missing.

The eggs are rounded and flattened at both ends. The outside is covered by strong vertical stripes.

The caterpillar is dirty green with a black head. She is very hairy.

The pupa has a strong bluish frosting. The brownish basic color can be seen at the segment boundaries. The black dot pattern can still be seen relatively well. A black longitudinal line is formed dorsally on the thorax.

Geographical occurrence and habitat

Pyrgus carlinae is widespread in the southwest and western central Alps from northwest Ticino to the west. He stays on lean alpine meadows and mats between 1000 and 3000 meters, wherever finger herbs ( potentilla ) grow directly on the ground or between rocks or between lichens and mosses.

Way of life

Pyrgus carlinae is univoltine , which means that only one generation is formed per year. The moths fly from June to September, but depends on the altitude. The eggs are laid on the underside of the leaves of the host plant. The fully developed egg caterpillar overwinters in the egg shell. The development is temperature controlled. Under artificially warm breeding conditions, the caterpillars developed into moths and gave rise to a second generation in December. This does not happen under natural conditions. In the wild, the caterpillar hatches in April and develops relatively quickly. It lives in an enclosure between the leaves of the host plant. It feeds on star-haired spring cinquefoil ( Potentilla pusilla ), large-flowered cinquefoil ( Potentilla grandiflora ), Potentilla tabernaemontani , creeping cinquefoil ( Potentilla reptans ), wire-haired cinquefoil ( Potentilla hirta ) and spring cinquefoil ( Potentilla neumanniana ). After four moults, the caterpillar pupates in late June to early July. The caterpillar does not seem to take a break before pupation. Under artificially cool breeding conditions (12 to 15 ° C) and in the dark, the caterpillars developed only slowly and another moult was switched on. The failure was very high. From this it is concluded that at least during the day, sunlit, warm places are essential for caterpillars to develop.

Systematics

The late summer cube-headed butterfly ( Pyrgus cirsii ) was previously considered a subspecies of Pyrgus carlinae .

Danger

In high altitudes, the species is occasionally endangered by tourism and intensive grazing.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c European butterflies and their ecology. Wolfgang Wagner, accessed on January 12, 2010 .
  2. ^ A b Lionel G. Higgins, Norman D. Riley: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . 1st edition. Paul Parey, Hamburg / Berlin 1978, ISBN 3-490-01918-0 , pp. 280 .
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Wagner: The genus Pyrgus in Central Europe and its ecology - larval habitats, nutrient plants and development cycles . - In: T. Fartmann & G. Hermann (Eds.): Larval ecology of butterflies and rams in Central Europe. Treatises from the Westphalian Museum of Natural History, 68 (3/4): 83–122, Münster 2006, pp. 88–91)
  4. ↑ Ottokar Kudrna (Ed.): The Distribution Atlas of European Butterflies . 1st edition. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2002, ISBN 87-88757-56-0 , pp. 273 (English).
  5. ↑ a b Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-440-07573-7 , p. 256 .

literature

  • Lionel G. Higgins, Norman D. Riley: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . 1st edition. Paul Parey, Hamburg / Berlin 1978, ISBN 3-490-01918-0 .
  • Wolfgang Wagner: The genus Pyrgus in Central Europe and its ecology - larval habitats, nutrient plants and development cycles . - In: T. Fartmann & G. Hermann (Eds.): Larval ecology of butterflies and rams in Central Europe. Treatises from the Westphalian Museum of Natural History, 68 (3/4): 83–122, Münster 2006 PDF .
  • Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-440-07573-7 .
  • Ottokar Kudrna (Ed.): The Distribution Atlas of European Butterflies . 1st edition. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2002, ISBN 87-88757-56-0 (English).

Web links

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